Car-coupling.



' A. s. LINDBRHOLM.

GAR COUPLING.

mu iF- i A. S. LINDERHOLM.

GAR COUPLING. 7 APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1911. RENEWED NOV. 4, 1914.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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GAR COUPLING.

lvwwto'a AUGUST 53. LINDERI-IOLM, OF ALAMOSA, COLORADO.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.22,1911.

Application filed May 19, 1911, Serial No. 628,182. Renewed November 4, 1914. Serial No. 870,306.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, Answer S. Lmnnm HoLM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alamosa, in the county of Conejos and State of Colorado, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car couplings and consists in' the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

A further embodiment of my invention resides in a car coupling embodying an efficient and durable construction and in which the various operative parts can be actuated by a single lever and will coact to i absolutely lock the opposing ends of cars relatively to each other.

For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a bar terminating in a head and mounted at one end of the car, a knuckle mounted to swing on the said head, a locking block adapted for engagement with the said knuckle and operative in the said head, a knuckle opener mounted to slide and to swing on the said head and adapted for engagement with the said knuckle to operate the same and move the said knuckle out of locking engagement with a coupling member secured to an adjacent car and a link connected to the said knuckle opener and extending to the side of the car, the said link being adapted to operate said knuckle opener when the said link is actuated.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation showing my device operatively mounted at one end of a car and in open position. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 38 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrow, the coupling being in closed position. Fig. 5 is a similar vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 in Fig. 2, the coupling being in open position. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 in F ig. 1, the coupling being in closed position. Fig. 7 is a similar horizontal sectional view taken on the line 77 in Fig. 1, the coupling being in open position. Fig. 8 is aperspective view of the knuckle opener forming a part of my car coupling. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the locking block. Fig. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 1010 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Referring more particularly to the views I provide a draw bar 10 having one end for attachment to a draft gear and the other end terminating in a coupler head 11. Mounted on the head 11 is a knuckle opener 12 provided with an elongated aperture 13 through which is extended a pin 1% having connection with the head 11 so that the knuckle opener 12 is capable of sliding and turning relatively to the head 11, the inner end of the knuckle opener 12 being movable within the head 11 and the outer end of the knuckle opener extending exteriorly of the head and terminating in integral spaced cars 14, provided with transversely extending apertures 15. A link 16 has an end thereof pivotally mounted on the knuckle opener 12, between the ears 1 1, a pin 17 being extended through the end of the link 16 and the apertures of the cars 14. The link 16 extends through an L-shaped opening 18 in a bracket 19 secured to the car and the link is provided with a slot 20, the outer end of the link terminating in a handle 21.

The knuckle opener 12 consists of fingers 22, 28, the finger 22 terminating in a hook 241: and a lug 25 having a notch 26 in the under side thereof. The finger 23 is provided with an integral arm 27 and a locking lug 28, the locking lug 28 having its outer end provided with an integral laterally extending lug 29, normally extending into a groove 29 in the head 11.

Mounted in a recess 30 in the head 11 is a locking block 31 having a head 32 provided with a groove 33 in its upper side and with an arch 34: in the lower side thereof, the groove 33 being adapted to receive the end of the hook 21 of the knuckle opener 12 and the arch 34 being adapted to receive the arched lug 25, cut out portion 35 being provided in the locking block 31 to receive the outer end of the arched lug 25. The locking block 31 terminates in a shank 37 having a portion cut away to form a concave side 38, thus forming a shoulder 38.

Mounted to swing on the head 11 by a pin 39 extended through the head is a knuckle 40 having an integral arm 41 provided with a flange 42 adapted to repose in a recess 43 in the head 11 and the said arm 41 is provided with an extension 44, a grooved out portion 45 being formed on the arm 41 between the flange 42 and the extension 44, the said grooved out portion constituting a recess for the arm 27 as will be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

When my coupling is in closed or locked position, the locking lug 28 will abut against one side of the head 11, the arm 27 will repose in a recessed portion of the head and the head 32 of the locking block 31 will be received between the hook 24 and the arched lug 25. Now assuming that it is desired to move the knuckle 40 to open position, the handle 21 of the link 16 is grasped and moved downwardly, thus moving the inner end of the lever 16 upwardly and operating the knuckle opener to slide upwardly, thus disengaging the locking lug 28 with the head 11, it being understood that the knuckle opener is in locked position when the locking lug engages the head 11. The link 16 is now pulled outwardly and this movement swings the knuckle opener 12 on the pin 14. As the knuckle opener 12 swings on the pin 14as mentioned the locking block 31 will be moved upwardly in the recess 30 owing to the head 32 of the locking block being engaged by the arched lug 25 and the turning of the knuckle opener 12 on the pin 14 will cause the arm 27 to engage the arm 41 in the grooved out portion 45 thereof, thus swinging the knuckle 4O outwardly and into unlocking position, the said knuckle being free to swing outwardly when the locking block 31 is in its uppermost position in that the reduced shank 37 having the concaved side 38, provides suflicient space to permit the outward swinging of the knuckle.

Now assuming that the knuckle 40 is in open position and it is desired to connect the locking member of another car to the head 11 and lock the same therewith, when the coupling member of the other car strikes the knuckle 40 the same will be moved inwardly. When the knuckle 40 is in open position the projecting under side 38 of the locking block 31 reposes on the upper side of the arm 41. When the knuckle 40 is moved to closed position, the under side 38 will be disengaged from the upper side of the arm 41 and the weight of the locking block 31 will cause the same to gravitate downwardly, thus carrying with it the knuckle opener 12 and as a result of this movement the base of the looking block 31 will be engaged by the outer side of the arm 41 so that the knuckle 40 will be rigidly locked relatively to the head 11. Furthermore when the knuckle opener 12 is moved back to initial position owing to the downward movement of the locking block 31, the locking lug 28 will rengage the head 11 and act as a further means to retain the knuckle 40 in rigid position relatively to the ead.

If desirable the knuckle 40 can be prevented from assuming a locking position after the same has been opened, by positioning the link 16 so that the groove 20 will receive therein a portion of the bracket 19, thus locking the link 16 relatively to the bracket and preventing any movement of the knuckle opener 12 and the parts operative therewith. When the link 16 is not moved to locking position relatively to the bracket 19, as mentioned, a pressure exerted on the outer side of the knuckle 40 when the same is in open position will tend to swing the knuckle inwardly to assume a locking position, the inward action of the knuckle against the arm 27 being adapted to swing the knuckle opener 12 and permit the same to slide into initial position.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that an effective and durable device is provided, adaptable in many ways for the object which it performs and in which the various parts thereof are few in number and simple in construction. It will be further noticed that duplex means for locking the knuckle 40 are provided, namely the locking lug 28 and the locking block 31, the locking lug 28 being positioned to lock both the knuckle opener 12 and the knuckle 40 and the locking block 31 being positioned to prevent an outward movement of the knuckle 40 and assume a locking position when the knuckle is moved inwardly relatively to the head 11.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, is

In a car coupler, the combination of a draw head, a knuckle pivotally mounted in the draw head for angular movement in a horizontal plane and having a rearwardly extending arm; a locking block, mounted for vertical movement in the draw head and arranged to drop behind the said arm of the knuckle when the latter is in closed position, and a knuckle opener mounted transversely in the draw head and pivotally mounted for angular movement and also for bodily vertical movement on its pivot, said knuckle opener and locking block having coacting means to cause the latter to be raised and lowered by the former; said knuckle opener and said knuckle having coacting means to cause the latter to be opened by the former when the knuckle opener is turned outwardly and upwardly, the draw head and the knuckle opener having coacting means to lock the In testimony whereof I aflix my signature knuckle opener when the knuckle is closed, in presence of two witnesses.

the locking block is lowered and the knuckle AUGUST S. LIN DERHOLM. opener is in its lowered position both as to Witnesses:

5 its angular movement and as to its bodily T. L. WHITE,

movement on its pivot. M. LUNDQUIST.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G." 

